Cinema 16:9 will be closing permanently as of February 28, 2013.

 

Dear Visitor,

For nearly four years now, Cinema 16:9 has been my dream, creation, and work. There have been many challenges along the road, and there has been a tremendous amount of work put into making it what it is today.


But approaching the end of our lease term at the Historic Lansdowne Theater, we have had to face the difficult reality that there are many obstacles that we would have to overcome in order to come to sustainability. Our industry is changing.

 

So it is with a heavy heart that I must announce that Cinema 16:9 will be closing. Our final day will be February 28th.

 

We certainly are proud of our achievements - growing to 3 theaters, screening hundreds of award winning films, winning Best of Philly, and most importantly hearing such wonderful reviews from you, our neighbors.

 

What makes this so difficult for us is that we're not closing up shop and leaving town. Lansdowne is our home. I will be transitioning out of the Entrepreneurial role, and hopefully into a position within or related to our industry. 

 

Sincerely

Your Neighbor,

David Titus

The Digital Cinema Initiative
The movie industry is set to stop producing 35MM film in 2013. Arthouse Movie Theaters need your support now more than ever.

The choice to close is a complicated one. D.C.I. is a big piece of it. We have always wanted to grow here at the Lansdowne, to add new theater spaces and to finally bring in the mainstream indie films that people request. But the math doesn't work out right now. It would be about $100,000 per theater to make the change to the industry's digital systems - and the agreements for the transition mean our distributors have to pay for every day a film is playing on DCI projectors.
The Catch-22
We're faced with a dilemma. If we want to show mainstream indie and blockbuster films, Cinema 16:9 needs DCI compliant projection. But if we had DCI compliant projection, our distributors would be taking a loss to show the films in a theater our size. 

The solution for us would be to move - and that would mean even more investment we're not planning to make.
What Now?
As our business was so unique, and unlike some kinds of businesses, we wouldn't be able to find new owners, and so, shortly we will begin the extensive process of selling of our rental DVDs and Blu-rays, we will be selling our commercial refrigeration, coffee and concessions equipment. We will sell projectors, and receivers. Everything available for purchase here as they become available.
Taking Final Party Bookings
Cinema 16:9 is closing, but you can have a farewell party. E-mail DSTitus@cinema169.com or call 215-915-5979. We are still taking new party bookings until February 15.

Rent one of our three theaters to have a film party with your favorite film!
Lynx (10 seats $135 )
Fox (40 seats $420)
Phoenix (60 seats $630) mailto:DSTitus@cinema169.comshapeimage_4_link_0
See Our Personnel Assets, Resumes and Sample WorkPersonnel_Assets.htmlshapeimage_5_link_0